Shorthand writing machine



June 1, 1937; VONCK 2,082,370

SHORTHAND WRITING MACHINE Filed Oct. 2, 1955 40 of the letters in thewords Patented June 1, 1937 SHOBTHAND WRITING MACHINE Gerhard HendrikClement Vonck, The Hague, Netherlands Application October 2, 1935,Serial No. 43,263

' In the Netherlands October 3, 1934 The invention relates to a writingmachine, nore especially a shorthand writing machine by means of whichone or a plurality of characters (letters, figures or the'like) may besimultaneously printed on a paper strip running over a printing roll.

The machines of this kind hitherto known have various drawbacks whichmay be ascribed partly to an injudicious transmission between the keys1g of the keyboard and the types that are printed on the paper strip andpartly by an injudicious arrangement of the keys, the types and thetransmission members with regard to each other.

The keyboard of any writing machine, no matter of what kind, should beadapted as much as than the other fingers calculated from the wrist,

which is the pivot on which the hand turns. It is also necessary thatthe dip of the keys be as shal low as possible since the smaller thedistance to be travelled by the keys and consequently by the hands, thequicker and the easier the writing.

- It is likewise a requirement that the keys are pressed down in avertical direction as much as possible, because if the key lever ispivoting during printing, the surface of said key will take an obliqueposition when pressed down farthest, so that the fingers will easilyslip off the keys.

Finally it is a fact that the sequence of the characters especially theletters which are to be printed on the paper, is dependent on thesequence belonging to the finest currently used languages. In ordertomeet all the requirements mentioned above, it will'therefore often benecessary that the order in which the keys are arranged on the keyboardis different from the order of the types that are to be and theconnecting members between the keys and the type bars is required.

It is also often desirable that more than one character be printed bymeans of a single key; this will cause a considerable reduction of thenumber of times that a key is to be pressed down.

The present invention has for its purpose to provide a machine meetingall the requirements mentioned above and also a few additional ones; ithas a very compact and simple construction and will enable the operatorto work at a high rate of speed.

As will be shown below, the machine moreover has the advantage that thekeyboard with the keys and the key levers may be readily constructed asa single unit of a very compact form and may be taken out of the machineas such and used in other machines of the same or a diiierent kind.

The machine according to the invention is characterized in that theprinting types are mounted facing the printing roll in a sequence,difierent from the one corresponding to the arrangement of the keys inthe diiferent horizontal rows on the keyboard and that the sequence ofthe types is altered with respect to the arrangement of the keys on thekeyboard by the insertion of transmission members of such shape andconstruction, that each one of the printing types 'will' take the mostdesirable position with regard to the printing roll.

The invention will be further explained with the aid of the drawing inwhich-.-

-Fig. l is a schematic illustration of the device for moving the types.

Fig. 2 represents an embodiment of a special arrangement of the typesand keys.

Fig. 3 represents a method for pressing down several types by means of asingle key.

Fig. 4 represents a keyboard.

In Fig. 1 which very schematically represents only one key indicated byI, 2 is the paper roll which is rotatably mounted on a shaft 3. The

pivotally mounted on the shaft 6; the type bar 5 is held away from theroll 2 by meansof a spring I or the like. The type bar 5 is moved bypressing down-the key I placed on the key lever 8, by means of a leversystem constructed in a special manner according to the invention. Thekey levers 8 are mounted together in openings of two interconnectedparallel plates 9 and ID, in which openings saidkey: levers are able tomove up and down. The lever B'is held in the raised position by means ofa spiral spring H. The lower-part of the lever B is provided withparallel guide members, consisting of two transversal arms I! and i3mounted about the lever 8 face It provided on a rotatable cam I I, whichis mounted about a shaft it. The cam I! is provided with a projectionis, which projection is connected by means of a draw-bar 2|! with the 5lower end of the type bar 5.

From the construction described above it is evident that the key isalways moved in a strictly vertical direction and on account of theparallel guiding means only a very slight amount of friction will occurin the openings of the plates 9 and i0, so that only a very slighteffort is required for pressing down the keys. It is evident moreoverthat it is only necessary to press down the key over a very smalldistance, in order to effeet the striking of the types 4 against theroll 2.

As stated above a given arrangement of the keys on the keyboard willnot. always correspond to the sequence of the types facing the printingroll. This problem might be solved by giving a special shape to the typebars 5 and the draw bars 20, but this will always aflect'the lightnessof the'touch and render dismounting and repairs more difiicult. Thepresent invention avoids this drawback by giving to the transversal armsI2 and IS a shape corresponding to the location of the keys andthetypes. An embodiment of this construction is illustrated in Fig. 2.In this figure 2| and 22 are two keys one for the letter A and one forthe letter J. For the purpose of obtaining a reverse order of the typesJ and A (vide the draw bars 23, and 24 respectively) it is necessarythat the transverse arms 25 of the key 2| reach past and about thetransverse arms 26 of the key 22. The said arms 25' and 28 will thenexert pressure by means of the pressure bars 21 and 28 respectively, onthe cam surfaces 29 and 30 respectively of the cams 3| and 32respectively, which cams are mounted on the shaft i8 and which areconnected by means of projections with the draw bars 23 and 24respectively. The transversal arms will be given a'special form for eachindividual case, in such a way that-in all cases the keys will obtainthe most desirable and emcacious place on the keyboard, whereas on theother hand each type will always retain its proper position with regardto the printing roll and to the-other types.

Fig. 4 represents a keyboard which is eminent- 1y suitable for machinesof the kind described above. In the said figure some of the keys areprovided with letters on behalf of which the sequence of the types isaltered with regard to their arrangement on the keyboard. For example,the sequence of the keys V and T is the reverse of that of the typescorresponding to said keys and facing the printing roll; The same is thecase with the keys H andJ and T and I".

In the-specification and claims mention is made of horizontal rows ofkeys; such a row is e. g. the group to which belong to the keys V, '1, Tand I"; the letters Hand J belong to another horizontal Pig. 3represents an embodiment of the construction for pressing down severalcharacters, e. g. OandE-bymeans ofasingle key. Itisa property of everylanguage that the same characters habitually succeed each other in oneand the same syllable; actuating these characters by means of a singlekey will save considerable time, which means an increased speed inwriting. As indicated in Fig. 3, the cam 21 for the letter it may beoperated by means of the key 22 and thetransversalarmsflwiththepressurebarfl. In the'same manner the cam II forthe O is operatedbythekeyIlandthetransversai-srm with the pressure bar4|. For the purpose of printing the O and the E at the same time therehas been provided an extra key 42 which by means of a forked transverse]arm 42 and pressure bars 44 and 45 co-operates with the cams 38 and 31respectively.

It is self-evident that the pressure cams, e. g. 3i and 32 or 31 and 38need not be mounted on the same shaft, but that all or some of thepressure cams may be mounted on different shafts either separately or ingroups.

It is also shown by the drawing that the entire keyboard with all thekeys, transversal arms and pressure bars may be taken out of the machineas a single unit, owing to the detachable connection between thepressure bars and the cams with the pressure surfaces. The keyboard withthe parts pertaining thereto may then be placed at once into any othersuitable machine.

I claim:

1. A shorthand typewriting machine for selectively printing either asingle character or, simultaneouly, a plurality of characters,comprising 'a printing roll, a paper strip guided over said roll, akeyboard having horizontal rows of keys thereon, and a plurality ofprinting type bars disposed facing said printing roll and interconnectedwith corresponding ones ofsaid keys, the sequence of the type barsfacing the printing roll being diflerent from the sequence of the keysin the horizontal rows, whereby a plurality of characters may besimultaneouly printed in a sequence dif- {grent from that in which theyappear on the keyard.

2. A shorthand typewriting machine for selectively printing either asingle character or, simultaneously, a plurality of characters,comprising a printing roll, a paper strip guided over said roll,

' a keyboard having horizontal rows of keys thereon, a plurality ofprinting type bars disposed facing said printing roll and interconnectedwith corresponding ones of said keys, the sequence of the type barsfacing the printing roll being different from the sequence of the keysin the horizontal rows, and transmission members between the keys andthe type bars, the said members comprising key levers carrying saidkeys, pressure bars, at least one transverse arm for each key lever,transmitting the motion of said key levers to said pressure bars, andpressure cams actuated by said pressure bars and connected to the typebars, the length and shape of the transverse arms being dependent of theposition along the printing roll of the type bars relating to thetransmission members.

3. A shorthand typewriting machine for selectively printing either asingle'character or, simultaneously, a plurality of characters,comprising a printing roll, a paper strip guided over said roll, akeyboard having horizontal rows of keys thereon. a plurality of'printingtype bars disposed fscing said printing roll and interconnected withcorresponding ones of said keys, the sequence of the type, bars facingthe printing roll being different from the sequence of the keys in thehoriscntal rows; and transmission members between the keys and the typebars, the said members comprising key levers carrying said keys,pressure bars, at least one transversearm for each key levertransmitting the motion of said key levers to said pressure bars, andpressure cams actustedby said pressure .bars and connected to the typebars, the length and shape of the transverse.

arm being dependent of the positions along'the printing-roll of thetimebarsrelating 'to the transmission members, the transverse arms of atleast one key lever carrying 'a plurality of pressure bars, saidpressure bars cooperating each with aseparate pressure cam, at least oneof said pressure cams simultaneously cooperating with another key lever;

4."A shorthand typewriting machine for se--' between the keys and thetype bars, the said memberscomprising key levers carrying said keys,pressure bars, at least one transverse arm 'for each key levertransmitting the motion ofsaid key levers to said pressure bars,pressure cams actuated by said pressure bars and connected to the typebars, the length and shape of the transverse arms being dependent of thepositions along the printing roll of the type bars relating to thetransmission members, and two parallel, substantially horizontal platesconstituting part of the keyboard, said key levers extending throughboth plates, and the transverse armspassing below the plates, thepressure bars extending through the lower plate.

GERHARD HENDRIK CLEMENT VONCK.

